


so let's set the world on fire (we can burn brighter)

by orphan_account



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, also oleana is taking part in the gym challenge too because i said so, and their teams are different because i also said so, basically rose tries his best but ultimately fails, my house my rules, ok so the blurb on rose's league card got me fucked up bro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:08:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21644188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Mr. Rose is in fact a talented trainer, coming in second place in a past Champion Cup."(A collection of stories about two teenagers, and one shattered dream. Not in chronological order.)
Relationships: Rose | Chairman Rose/Olive | Oleana
Comments: 12
Kudos: 18





	1. of summer, preparatory to the paint-by-number

“Welcome to the wonderful world of Pokémon!”

It’s those words that mark five days before the Gym Challenge’s start. In the kitchen of a pleasant Wyndon house, a fourteen year-old Elijah Rose struggles to put a pitcher of lemonade back in the fridge in time to sprint to the living room, nearly tripping over his own feet in an effort to not miss the Champion’s exhibition match.

“El! Hurry up, you’re gonna miss the match!” his younger sister calls to him, voice shrill and excited. The small girl bursts into the kitchen, grabbing his wrist and all but dragging him to the living room.

“Geez! I’m coming, Cath! I’m not gonna miss the match!” Rose protests, still allowing Catherine, his sweet sister, to drag him by the wrist towards the living room, desperately trying not to spill his glass of lemonade over sleek hardwood floors. He sits down on the leather couch in front of the TV, eyes already intensely focused on the screen as Chairwoman Bonetti gives her remarks.

“We thrive as a society, largely due to the lovely creatures we call Pokémon!” the Chairwoman exclaims, flipping her long braid over her right shoulder and throwing a Great Ball onto the grass of Wyndon Stadium. From it, a Cursola emerges with a cry, landing softly on the well-cut grass. Rose shudders; Ghost Pokémon have always given him the creeps…

“Truly, we owe our way of life to our lovely Pokémon!” Bonetti continues, withdrawing her Pokémon with a fuschia smirk. She adjusts her glasses and folds her hands in front of her, standing elegant and poised amidst the screaming crowd around her. Everything about the Chairwoman is so perfectly elegant and poised, it’s creepy; she’s always freaked Rose out, especially with her creepy Cursola… 

“Now, then! Everyone, turn your gaze to Galar’s pride and joy! Please enjoy Champion Evelyn’s exhibition match!”

Rose leans forward in his seat, eyes widening as the stadium is enveloped in a shimmering mist. From the fog, a woman emerges, ruby lips curling upwards into a coy smirk. Her sparkling eyes, the colour of precious peridot, scan the crowd that surrounds her, and she offers a single wave; it’s more than enough to make the crowd go wild. Beside her, a Hatterene follows, as elegant and poised as her trainer; it’s long since learned to handle the loud shouts of crowds.

She pauses, then adjusts the two small buns atop her head, deep red locks so carefully styled, lashes fluttering as she gazes upon her opponent; the strongest Gym Leader in the region.

Rose’s father, Galar’s beloved Steel-Type specialist, stands with his trusted Copperajah, as put together and calm as expected. He tosses an Ultra Ball in his right hand, and offers a chuckle to the Champion, who allows herself to take a step forwards.

“Do you think you can defeat me, Isaac?” Evelyn asks, confident as always. She doesn’t worry about the possibility of loss; she had only lost one battle whilst going through her own Gym Challenge three years ago, after all. She knows she’ll likely win, even if his Copperajah holds a type advantage over her Hatterene.

“I certainly think it’s a possibility,” Isaac replies, as cool and collected as ever, allowing an amused smile to creep onto his face. “Either way, this is sure to be quite some fun.”

Evelyn laughs, then, gesturing to her Hatterene with a smile, “Alright, then! Hatterene, use Psychic!”

In an instant, the battle begins, and the two children watch from the comfort of their living room, enraptured by the shouts of the two trainers and the cries of their Pokémon, by the cheers of the crowd as team members faint. Everything about battles are exciting, watching two trainers give it their all to work towards a victory… it’s all so exhilarating, even when watching from a TV.

“Do you think dad’s gonna win?” Catherine asks, in the heat of the battle, wide eyes still affixed to the screen. Rose shrugs, briefly looking over at the nine year-old girl next to him. Evelyn is a formidable trainer, that’s for sure, but his father certainly knows how to hold a grudge… 

“Eh, who knows? Anything’s possible, right?”

As it turns out, he does not, in fact, win. Rose sighs as he hears the sound of a key turning in a lock, followed by the creak of the front door opening. He simply stays seated on the couch as Catherine leaps up to greet their father, practically running towards the man with a large smile on her face.

“Dad! That was so cool!” she exclaims, wrapping her arms around the man’s waist. He smiles, ruffles her hair, quickly hangs his coat up on the rack. Rose can’t help but notice how his father’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes; his loss hit him, and it hit him _hard. ___

__“Thank you, my princess,” Isaac sighs, running a hand through his hair and adjusting his glasses, “it was certainly an exhilarating match, even if I couldn’t win.”_ _

__Rose still says nothing, simply observing the exchange from his spot on the couch. He knows that a conversation will likely only end in an argument, especially considering his father’s loss still stinging like salt in a wound. As if Arceus itself is laughing at Rose, Isaac’s gaze wanders over to him, as steely as the type he specializes in. Mentally, Rose braces himself for conflict, offering a small smile and a “What’s up?”_ _

__His father sighs, “You watched the match, Elijah. You know ‘what’s up,’ as you put it.” A quick look around the room. “Where’s your mother?”_ _

__“Still working at the hospital. She won’t be back for another few hours, probably,” he replies, honestly wishing he could quit the conversation right then and there. Maybe, if he’s lucky, Isaac will drop the conversation, and he’ll be able to avoid another pointless argument. Unfortunately, luck is definitely _not _on his side today, as he’s quick to find out.___ _

____“Oh, I see,” Isaac replies, and for a second, it does seem like the conversation is over, and that an argument has been avoided. However, his father has never been one to let certain topics go. “You know, son, I think I’m getting to be past my prime as Gym Leader. I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to having you follow in my footsteps.”_ _ _ _

____Rose groans, rolling his eyes and bracing himself for yet another pointless argument, “Dad, asking me five thousand times isn’t gonna change my answer. That’s _not _what I wanna do with my life!”___ _ _ _

______Unsurprisingly, his father’s face falls at his answer. They’ve had this same argument countless times, so all Rose can really do is hope that his father stops pressing him. It’s not gonna happen, no matter how much he wants it to._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Elijah, listen to me. A Gym Leader is a good, stable career choice! You’re an excellent successor, and you’re still young. It would be beneficial if you at least-“_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Dad, I’m _really _not interested. Besides, I’d need to be a half-decent trainer, and I’ve only got an Inkay. I can’t exactly do much,” Rose interrupts with a shrug, smiling as the Pokémon in question comes floating into the room, settling in his lap with a small trill. Isaac sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose, grimaces.___ _ _ _ _ _

________“I don’t want to have this argument right now, Elijah. We’ll discuss this later,” Isaac sighs, waving his hand dismissively. That’s odd; he’d usually argue further, especially considering his recent defeat, but Rose isn’t going to complain. Avoiding an argument with his dad is always a win in his book._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________His Inkay tilts its head as his father leaves the room, looking back to Rose with a curious gaze. He smiles at it, scratching under its beak and smiling as it nuzzles into his touch, snuggling close to his body._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Yeah, I’m stumped too, Ophelia,” he sighs, closing his eyes with a huff, “I mean… should I just agree to be the next Steel-Type leader? Get dad to shut it?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Beside him, Catherine sits down, quietly humming the League’s chant to herself. Maybe, when she’s older, she can take on the role… why does it even have to be _him, _anyway?___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Hey, El?” she asks, poking his arm, “I’ve gotta tell you something!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He sighs, opening his eyes and managing a smile at his little sister, “What’s up?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Dad’s got a really special birthday present for you! I’m not supposed to tell you what it is, though!” she exclaims, giggling as Rose’s Inkay lightly headbutts her hand. He furrows his brow, unsure what to think. Him and his dad haven’t been on the best of terms lately… why would he be getting some special gift? Still, he _is _curious, as much as he tries to tell himself that he isn’t.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“C’mon, Cath, my birthday’s in three days, you’ve gotta tell me!” he replies with a laugh, poking his sister in the side and snickering as she yelps, frantically swatting away his hand before he can do more._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Nope! Not tellin’ you! Dad says you’ll _really _like it!” she chirps, all but running away from him. Rose sighs, although not out of exasperation; he’s curious, that’s for sure, and the thought of snooping around to find his present early does occur to him. The disgruntled chirp of his Inkay distracts him from his thoughts, the poor thing having been incredibly startled by the sudden ruckus caused by him and Catherine.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Sorry, sorry!” A chuckle. “I didn’t mean to scare you!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________The Inkay simply grumbles in response, but settles back down against Rose’s chest; it can act mad, but ultimately, it can’t deny wanting to be close to its trainer._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Oh, boohoo, I know. C’mon, it wasn’t even _me _that shrieked like a banshee!”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________From somewhere else in the house, he hears his sister’s distant _“Hey!” _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Much to Rose’s surprise, he does end up _loving _his father’s gift when his birthday rolls around in three day’s time.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________A sheet of paper with the unmistakable logo of the Pokémon League in the top left corner, and a familiar signature at the bottom of the page._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Dad, you’re…” he starts, trying desperately not to get choked up, already feeling his eyes growing misty, “I… you’re really endorsing me? To participate in the Gym Challenge?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________His father simply nods, puts a hand on his left shoulder, smiles at him, “Indeed I am. The challenge starts in two days; you’d best hop on a train to Motostoke if you want to confirm your participation and check into a hotel by tonight.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________It’s them that Rose’s tears finally do fall, and he surprises even himself when he wraps his arms around his father; it’s not a familiar feeling, but he can’t help but lean into his father, to desperately try to express how grateful he is. After a brief moment’s pause, the hug is returned; another shocking occurrence, really._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________“Thank you,” he whispers, sure his voice will crack if he speaks any louder, “I’ll make you proud. I promise.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	2. yesterday's you has gone away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose registers for the Gym Challenge, and meets someone rather interesting.  
> Date: July 24th, 1992

Motostoke, as it turns out, is just as loud and crowded, if not more so, than Wyndon. Rose weaves his way around crowds of people as he steps off of his train, keeping one hand firmly clutching his backpack as he shoves the other one in the pocket of his navy cargo jacket. If even the damn _train station_ is this busy, then he can’t say he’s too excited about the city ahead of him. He feels his Inkay’s Ultra Ball rumble in his backpack; it can sense the commotion outside, and it wants to _see._

“Not now,” he whispers, almost tripping over his own feet as a young girl bumps into him, “I’ll let you out once we get checked into a hotel, alright?”

The ball stops shaking in his backpack, much to his relief. He’s not sure what sort of a fuss he would cause if the thing decided to let itself out right now. He continues to force his way through the large crowds of people that fill the station, and swears he could cry out of relief as the doors come into view. His Gym Challenge starts _now._

Rose pushes open the doors of the train station, and steps into the warm late-July air.

Motostoke is a far cry from Wyndon, he realizes as soon as he takes in the city. Steam-powered mechanisms run the city, gears turning amidst buildings of brick. People walk with their Pokémon beside them, and it seems like nobody minds. It’s different from perfect, polished, upscale Wyndon, but Rose finds that he likes it. And if people just walk around with their Pokémon...

“Alright, Ophelia, come on out.”

He unzips his backpack, quickly fishing out the Ultra Ball resting inside and freeing his Inkay with a smile. The small creature trills in happiness, spinning around in the air and settling beside him. He laughs, scratching it under where its chin would be and looking onwards into the city, eyes catching on a large building with banners proudly waving in front of it.

“C’mon, we’ve gotta head to the stadium and get registered, right? We can’t participate if we don’t!” Rose says to his Inkay, laughing as it reluctantly settles down, floating calmly to his left. He shoves his hands in his pockets again, setting off towards Motostoke Stadium with a slight smile. The closer he gets, the more crowded the streets become; everyone knows the Gym Challenge is starting tomorrow, after all, and everyone wants a chance to see the challengers before the event actually starts. He keeps his gaze ahead as he walks towards the imposing front of the stadium, tries his best to tune out the excited chatter of passerby, and steps into Motostoke Stadium for the first time.

Instantly, he’s hit with a wall of sound. There’s _so many_ people here, all of them most likely Gym Challengers getting registered for tomorrow. Rose sighs as he pushes his way through crowds of people, trying his best to just get to the front desk of the stadium and get registered. It’s much too loud in here, he just wants to register, and get out as quickly as possible. Much to his dismay, the person manning the front desk is currently occupied, helping out a girl with strawberry-blonde hair tied into a high ponytail. He sighs, hanging back as the girl speaks to the man behind the desk.

“416, if it’s not taken,” she mutters, the Combee beside her buzzing excitedly. The man nods, and hands her a yellow Challenge Band with a smile. She takes it with a quiet “thanks,” and turns around, coming face-to-face with Rose, piercing green eyes meeting his own. He feels a small bit of heat rush to his face, because this girl is _pretty,_ but quickly composes himself, offering a small smile to the girl.

“Sorry to have made you wait,” is all she says to him, pulling up the collar of her white turtleneck and pulling her brown leather jacket tighter around her body. She walks off without another word, and Rose takes her place at the front desk, laying his letter of endorsement on the counter.

“Registering for the Gym Challenge?” the man asks him, taking the letter and briefly skimming over it. “Leader Isaac endorsed you, huh? He doesn’t endorse people often… that’s a bit strange, actually…”

“I’m his kid,” Rose answers flatly, watching as the man’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. He smiles at Rose, quickly typing down information into the blocky computer that sits at the corner of the desk. Rose sighs, already feeling a headache coming on; he’s gonna be known as the son of Galar’s famous Steel-specialist, he can already tell. That’s going to be what the press focuses on.

“Your name, son?”

“Elijah Rose.”

More sounds of a keyboard clicking. A pleased hum. Inkay’s impatient trill. The sound has all blended into one mass of noise and chatter at this point, and Rose resists the urge to cover his ears just to block out some of the crowd. Being easily irritated by loud noises isn’t a good reputation to have, after all.

“Pick a number for your uniform, please and thank you,” the man says, and Rose thinks for a second. He could make his dad happy, and go with the National Dex number of a Steel-Type, but… that's not really _him_ at all. He looks over to his Inkay, and smiles. Really, his choice should’ve been obvious to him from the beginning.

“687, please. If nobody’s taken it, of course,” he answers, watching as the man quickly looks through records, and nods. He opens a drawer, and hands Rose a Challenge Band with a smile. Almost a bit apprehensively, Rose slips it onto his wrist, allowing his smile to widen. It’s all happening; he’s really going to participate in the Gym Challenge. He almost feels like he’s dreaming.

“The League has taken the liberty to book rooms for all challengers at the nearby Budew Drop Inn,” the man tells him, “I’d suggest getting checked in and rested up! You’ll need plenty of energy for the opening ceremony tomorrow!”

Rose’s eyebrows raise. He had been fully expecting to need to find a hotel at the last minute, but he certainly isn’t complaining about this turn of events. He turns around to leave, and comes face-to-face with the girl he had seen earlier. His Inkay floats over to her Combee, and she briefly turns her gaze to the two, muttering a quiet “play nice.” Then, she looks back to Rose, putting her hands in her pockets and offering the smallest of smiles to him.

“You’re Gym Leader Isaac’s kid, huh?” she asks, her emerald gaze still piercing into him like tiny daggers. “Sorry for eavesdropping, but I couldn’t help but overhear you tell the League employee that. It was… Elijah, right?”

For a second, Rose is at a loss for words, mostly because this girl is startlingly pretty, and he’s pretty sure she’s actually god in the form of a teenage girl with a Combee. He quickly regains his senses, smiling back at her and offering his hand, “Yeah, that’s me. Nice meeting you.”

She takes his hand, and he’s honestly surprised at the firm shake he receives. She quickly shoves her hands back in her pockets, her smile growing ever-so-slightly wider as her Combee returns to her side and nuzzles against her cheek.

“Oleana. The Chairwoman endorsed me,” she says, chuckling as Rose feels surprise creep onto his face. Sure, he knows that the Chairwoman endorses one lucky trainer each year, but he hadn’t been expecting to actually meet the person chosen. She has the vibe of the Chairwoman’s endorsee, though, now that he thinks about it; she’s quiet, reserved, surely “full of untapped potential,” as the Chairwoman herself would put it.

“Seriously? Bonetti?” Rose asks, hoping he’s not making himself look like a colossal idiot in front of Oleana. She laughs, then, quiet and barely even audible amongst the loud chatter of the stadium lobby, but he hears it nonetheless.

“Yeah, but really, I’m not sure why…” Oleana starts, furrowing her brows as she crosses her arms, “I guess she just saw something in some random kid from Hammerlocke with a tiny Combee? I’ve been mulling over it, but I’ve still got nothing.”

Rose shrugs, “She obviously saw something in you. My dad says she goes over all of her potential endorsees pretty thoroughly before she actually signs one letter, so she obviously picked you for good reason, right?”

She hums a single note, seemingly thinking over Rose’s words, smiling as her Combee nudges against her hand, “Who knows? Anyway, I’m gonna head off to that inn now, I’m drained. Maybe I’ll see you around?”

“Sure thing,” Rose replies, smiling at Oleana with a wave as she turns to leave the stadium. He watches her as she leaves, only looking away once she’s stepped through the doors of the stadium. His Inkay floats up beside him again, and nudges his cheek with a trill, seemingly picking up on his feelings rather fast. He sighs, albeit it’s more a sigh of fondness than anything, and looks over at the little squid with a smile.

“Alright, let’s get a move on. We’ve got a lot going on tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's here! sorry this took so long school is killing me. I hope y'all enjoy this!!

**Author's Note:**

> so rose's league card??? we all just not talking about the first sentence??? it really intrigued me and got me thinking so hi this is now a thing that exists.


End file.
